Suiting up the likes of Ray Charles and John Dillinger for the big screen isn’t your average day job.

But that’s just half of what Ardis Taylor does for a living.

For almost three decades, the Oakland native has been running his own business in Alameda called Vintage Apparel by Ardis while consulting and supplying costumes for Hollywood period films such as “Ray,” “Public Enemies” and “American Gangster.”

For “Public Enemies,” which opens today, Taylor worked with Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood in outfitting the film’s principal actors with 15 suits and pairs of shoes, five topcoats and several accessories from that time period. He received no information as to who would wear his clothing, but did find out that actor Johnny Depp is a size 40 regular.

“A lot of times the designer has an unlimited budget, and they’re more open so that you could bring out your best,” Taylor says. “She (Atwood) made her selections, but I didn’t know where they were going to go, but I could tell from the way that she responded that I had what she wanted.”

Taylor owns suits, hats, shoes and accessories that date back from the 1930s through the mid-1960s. He restores vintage menswear through contacts with various specialized dealers at trade shows, antique shows and malls. Taylor also draws from his client’s list or referrals.

He has met a number of film people through his shows or via word of mouth. One of his first forays as a Hollywood clothing consultant came in 1994, supplying a couple pairs of shoes for the Coen brothers film “The Hudsucker Proxy.” Taylor says that his work on smaller scale projects has allowed his business and reputation to grow as a specialist in vintage footwear.

“People who like my concept of the business or my approach to it refer these people to me,” Taylor says. “For ‘Public Enemies’ we did this work in January of 2008. Whoever I deal with, I try to be as professional as I can, whether it’s on a base level or Atwood’s level.”

Taylor’s knowledge on fashion is a result from years of research and experience. He is known for his knowledge and collection of rare leather shoes (he has close to 175 pair). Restoring vintage pieces goes hand-in-hand with an attention to detail, and in some cases he has had to restore fabric that has been moth-eaten or ripped on the lining as a result of bad alterations.

Unique fashion era

“The ’30s are the most rare, especially for menswear,” Taylor says. “‘Public Enemies’ was from around that era. It’s the hardest to locate because a lot of people within the business don’t know much about the fashion at all,” he says. “Within the ’30s, I like the textures of fabric — the herringbone tweeds and the chalk stripes they had in that period.”

As a high school student growing up in the 1960s, Taylor admired men who dressed well and shopped at places like Oakland’s Rogers Clothing Store and Mr. Yanci’s Clothes Hanger, where it was common to find athletes and celebrities walking through the aisles. Though he had to place items he wanted on layaway when he frequented these shops, it would nurture a hobby that would later turn into his profession.

When discussing men’s and women’s fashion, Taylor likes to emphasize the ability to individualize or make an outfit your own. He stresses that it is more important to be able to put together an outfit that highlights your personal features over how much you spend on a piece of clothing.

Taylor continues to travel throughout California and the Pacific Northwest, searching for tattered suits and worn-out leather shoes which he will eventually restore into something special for his growing list of clients.

“It’s not so much about the next film,” Taylor says. “You have to really have a vision of what may evolve before it happens. I’ll probably be doing this for the rest of my life.”